Newsletter

     A pond or lake can provide years of enjoyment and recreational opportunities.  However, a

 successful fishing pond must be managed in much the same way a garden is managed.  A pond

 has soil that  must be conditioned; it must be stocked with the appropriate species; it must be 

 properly fertilized; weeds must be controlled; and harvest must be timed and regulated. 

 Management is the key to successful recreational pond. Spring is a key time of year to begin

 properly managing your pond.  The following sections highlight areas that need to be addressed in

 order to create an aquatic environment that works at an optimum level.

  Liming

 The application of dolomite lime to fish ponds will increase the availability of nutrients, primarily

 phosphorous, to aquatic plants, specifically phytoplankton.  Phytoplankton (microscopic free-

 floating plants) are the base of the food chain in fish ponds and are essential for rapid fish growth

 and survival in recreational fish ponds.  Basically, liming a pond with dolomite can increase fish

 yields in the pond just as liming fields increases crop production.  The recommended application

 rate for dolomite lime is 1 to 2 tons per surface acreage.  Only finely ground dolomite should be 

 used as reaction time and solubility are directly related to the particle size.  Limestone can be added

 at any time in the production cycle; it will not harm the fish.  The effects of adequate liming will

 usually last several years in ponds with little or no outflow.  Ponds which frequently discharge water 

 may have to be limed annually. 

Differences Between Dolomite and Hydrated Lime

 It is also important to keep in mind that dolomite lime is very different from hydrated lime, another

 tool used in fish production and pond management.  Dolomite, the type of lime discussed above, is 

 used to increase productivity in a pond.  Hydrated lime, on the other hand, is an effective pond

 sterilizer, raising the pH quickly and dramatically above tolerable levels for most aquatic organisms. 

 It should be used carefully, avoiding contact to to the applicator, and NEVER used in ponds

 containing desirable fish.  It will kill your fish population. 

Source: The Use of Lime in Fish Ponds by Andy Lazur and Charles Cichra; Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida.  First Published June 1997.

 Fertilizing

  Spring is also a good time of year to consider whether or not your pond needs fertilizing. 

 First, it is important to note the reason for fertilization in a pond.  Fertilizers used in ponds

 stimulate the growth of microscopic plants that are the base of the food chain in an aquatic

 environment.  Also, these microscopic plants provide oxygen for the fish in the pond through

 photosynthesis.  You may have noticed a pond that has a green tint to the water--it is the

 microscopic plants that give the pond this color, and it is the hallmark of a healthy pond.  Adding

 fertilizer to the pond can allow you to increase the fish production in the pond.  However,

 fertilization is not necessary in all ponds.  Ponds or  lakes with excess waterflow  will flush

 fertilizer  from the pond and would thereby be a waste.  In ponds that already have a high organic

 content caused by heavily feeding fish, such as catfish ponds, it is not necessary to fertilize because

 the excess feed and waste from the fish act as fertilizer.  Finally, a pond or lake that already

 has a weed problem should not be fertilized--it would simply be adding fuel to the fire.

 Stocking

 The most important stocking event of Spring is, of course, bass stocking.  Bass are only available in

 the spring, usually between the months of April and June.  If you stocked with coppernose bluegill

 the previous year, or if you stocked bluegill during the winter months of the current year, now is

 the time to stock bass.  As noted on our Fish Stocking Rates page, you need to stock 100 bass per

 acre.  We carry the Florida Largemouth strain of bass.  Another species that plays an important

 role this time of year is the white amur or grass carp.  Now would be a good time to evaluate the

 weed problem in your pond and determine whether or not you need carp to control that problem. 

 It's much easier to gain control over a weed problem before the weed begins to take over the pond

 as it will usually do once temperatures start to rise.  Also keep in mind that you must have a permit

 to possess carp from the Florida Wildlife Commission.  The permit is free and easy to obtain by

 logging on to http://www.myfwc.com/License/FreshwaterPermit_grasscarp.htm  or by calling

 1-352-742-6438.  The grass  carp  and other fish species that we carry are  available now and

throughout the year.